I have no idea how to do this without opening yourself up to near-trivial cheating either, as the validation of work isn't intrinsically linked to the actual effort like current crypto coin systems rely on.
And if there's a centralized arbiter validating people's capture results, then you've just invented a centralized currency? Why have crypto at all? It sounds like carbon credits (with all it's failings) with extra steps.
> I have no idea how to do this without opening yourself up to near-trivial cheating either, as the validation of work isn't intrinsically linked to the actual effort like current crypto coin systems rely on.
This is known as the oracle problem and is actively being worked on.
And if there's a centralized arbiter validating people's capture results, then you've just invented a centralized currency? Why have crypto at all? It sounds like carbon credits (with all it's failings) with extra steps.